Charlie Vickers Goes Full-on Villain With ‘The Rings of Power’ Season Two

“The Rings of Power” star Charlie Vickers is no longer hiding.

The actor spent the show’s first season disguised as the human character Halbrand, who was later revealed to be the Middle-earth antagonist Sauron (who also presents in elvish form as Annatar). “The perspective of the show has changed,” Vickers says. “Now we’re with him, and it’s his story from his perspective.”

Vickers was in New York for two quick days of press — including his first late-night talk show appearance — a few weeks before the Season Two launch. Although his schedule was fairly packed with work commitments, his partner and their 16-month-old son had accompanied him on the brief trip, and he was excited to share part of the experience with them. While they were out exploring the city, Vickers was busy discussing the second season of “The Rings of Power” and the path that led him there.

“More comfortable, more complicated,” Vickers says of how he was feeling heading into the second season. “Now people know I’m playing Sauron, so there is more attention.” The actor appears at home in the elevated role, offering unhurried responses from The Whitby Hotel lounge. “It’s Sauron now getting to be Sauron.” 

His character might look quite different in this new season (pointed ears and long white-blond hair and all) but despite the plot twist, Vickers rooted his portrayal of the character’s various alter egos in an emotional throughline. “It’s a bit of a trend to say that playing villains is quite a fun thing to do,” Vickers says. “And it’s true; it is, because there’s often a lot of complexity, and certainly in this case. I think it’s key for me to always remember that he is trying to do what he thinks is best for Middle Earth.”

Although the series hasn’t yet officially been renewed for a third season, development is already underway, and a total of five seasons have been planned for the “The Lord of the Rings” prequel series. 

“That’s the nature of when you sign up to something like this,” says the 31-year-old actor of the potential multiyear commitment. “It was always going to be a no-brainer for me to join this, because it’s Tolkien, it’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ — I was over the moon to even be considered for the role.”

The audition for “The Rings of Power” came shortly after Vickers graduated from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, while he was working a food sampling gig.

“I was standing on a street corner outside Sainsbury’s in London, by Clapham South Station, handing out these things called pork puffs,” he says. “And I got an email from my agent. I was standing with one of my closest friends, and I chuckled and said, look at this; this is never gonna happen. Because you get [auditions] for these huge series, and it’s so far-fetched. I had always dreamed of being a part of a world like this.”

Vickers has lived in London for just over 10 years. He originally moved from Australia to attend drama school, which he applied to “sort of on a whim,” he says, after getting involved in amateur theater societies while studying at the University of Melbourne. 

Vickers has returned to Australia to work on other projects around filming for “The Rings of Power.” After the show’s first season he filmed drama miniseries “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart”; his next project, which followed season two production, hasn’t yet been announced.

“I’ve been lucky to be able to do things in between that are really special to me,” he says. “I’ve tried to make a point of going back to Australia in between each season and working on something Australian, because I love the industry there and the storytellers.”

After New York, Vickers was headed back to London for the show’s global premiere, followed by press stops in Singapore and finally Sydney. 

“I’ve been back to Sydney and Australia for work, but I haven’t been back to promote anything,” he says, noting that ‘Lost Flowers’ was released during last year’s strikes, and the cast opted out of promo in solidarity. 

“I’m really looking forward to going home and sharing this world,” he adds.